ATEX

What is the ATEX directive, how should you apply it, and what can Process Engineering A/S offer you? On this page we aim to inform you about the ATEX directive.

ATEX is the set of rules that apply to equipment used in explosive atmospheres and to workers who are potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres. The ATEX requirements for equipment are detailed in directive 2014/34/EU and the ATEX requirements for workplaces are detailed in directive 99/92/EC.

Both directives are colloquially known as the ATEX directive, even though it is actually two separate directives. We often separate the two by referring to them as the ATEX equipment directive and the ATEX workplace directive. The ATEX equipment directive is a product directive whose purpose is to ensure free trade for relevant electrical as well as mechanical products in the common market. These rules are consistent within all EU countries in the sense that individual countries are not allowed to deviate from these regulations. Products which comply with the ATEX directive can be CE marked and must also have additional marking as prescribed by the directive and the harmonised standards.

The ATEX workplace directive’s purpose is to secure workers’ safety from the consequences of an explosion by preventing that an explosion occurs at all. The workplace directive applies everywhere within the EU. Unlike the equipment directive, it consists of a set of minimum standards to which individual countries can add national legislation that is more restrictive.